For the craic | The Cat Herder, Volume 2, Issue 45

The Public Services Card ages five years in the space of a few weeks. Amnesty condemns surveillance c   November 24 · Issue #61 · View online The Public Services Card ages five years in the space of a few weeks. Amnesty condemns surveillance capitalists. Online advertising techniques migrate offline. 😼 Digital Billboards Are Tracking You. And They Really, Really Want You to See Their Ads. www.consumerreports.org – Share In this investigation on digital billboards, Consumer Reports says location tracking is helping intrusive parts of the web move out into the real world, bringing data collection and targeted ads to billboards and screens everywhere. It was a busy week in the reality-resistant universe of the Irish government’s identity register. The National Childcare Scheme launched with a twist. Only people who are already in the biometric identity register, or are willing to be added to it, can receive their entitlements. A postal application system will open in January but payments will not be backdated. This doesn’t seem particularly fair and smacks of the minds behind the Public Services Card spotting another vulnerable cohort of individuals to sweep into their database. Only those parents who can afford to forgo at least two months of payments can avoid being caught up in this. “The Department of Social Protection continue to ignore the state’s independent regulator, continue to roll out this illegal scheme, and continue to force it upon people who need welfare services the most, including those dependent on the National Child Care scheme.” — A High Court case featuring the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and a data breach was settled. Of particular interest is how the department initially added the former employee to the proceedings, then rapidly reversed this decision after she “claimed that the release of data was "commonplace,” and it was “an accepted work practise of the department’s management and staff to release information to Gardaí, solicitors and private investigators upon request.” — On Thursday the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection appeared before the Oireachtas Social Welfare Committee to discuss matters relating to the Public Services Card. It was, like almost everything to do with this project, a thing of terribly confusing beauty. The Irish Examiner has a good summary of the main points made, which didn’t really serve to clarify much at all. For fans of the surreal, the minister has now begun pushing the beginnings of the project back a further five years, from 1998 to 1993. The “incredibly strong legal advice” which the minister received from the Attorney General’s office was not in response to any formal questions asked by the department. More “I won’t lower myself’: Angry clashes at committee as Doherty defends government stance on PSC’, The Journal ‘Government defends position on Public Services Card’, RTÉ Paul O'Donoghue @paulodonoghue93 Regina Doherty has said that about 2 million people have got the Public Services Card "for the craic". Bang on. Nothing screams craic like going through the registration process for an identity card. https://t.co/cKIsh07Vre 10:36 AM - 22 Nov 2019 Related In a public lecture this month, Supreme Court Justice Lord Sales (Philip Sales QC) asserted that while, while digital government offers the potential of huge savings, it also has the potential to undermine human dignity and human rights. “Access to public services is being depersonalised,” he said. “The individual seems powerless in the face of machine systems and loses all dignity in being subjected to their control. “The movement here threatens to be from citizen to consumer and then on to serf.” ‘Judge sounds ‘serf’ warning on digital public services’, UKAuthority And finally, business as usual A languages teacher in rural Ireland broke her ankle but was denied welfare benefit by the Department of Social Protection because she refused to get a public services card (PSC). The woman, who suffered the injury in September while walking in the countryside, had to undergo surgery. She was housebound after the accident and out of work without income for seven weeks. ‘Teacher denied access to social welfare after breaking her ankle and refusing to get PSC’, Irish Examiner Uber safety push includes plans to start audio recording rides in the U.S. - The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com – Share Uber is launching an audio recording pilot in Latin America. The ride-hailing giant said it is trying to bring the feature to the U.S., but that may prove complicated. They probably did. Few companies have more riding on proposed privacy legislation than Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. To try to steer the bill their way, the giant advertising technology companies spend millions of dollars to lobby each year, a fact confirmed by government filings. Not so well-documented is spending to support highly influential think tanks and public interest groups that are helping shape the privacy debate, ostensibly as independent observers. ‘Facebook, Google Fund Groups Shaping Federal Privacy Debate’, Bloomberg Law The European Data Protection Board published guidelines on Data Protection by Design and Default for public consultation. Submissions are open until the 16th January. — WhatsApp’s concerns are partly to do with how Dixon’s office coordinates with other EU data protection authorities as it wraps up the case, and whether her draft decision does or does not include details about fines and potential changes to WhatsApp’s practices, she said. ‘Europe’s First Big Privacy Crackdown on Big Tech Is Being Delayed By WhatsApp’s Lawyers’, Fortune Amnesty International’s ‘Surveillance Giants’ report. “[T]he surveillance-based business model of Facebook and Google is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a systemic threat to a range of other rights including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.” Cisco published the results of its Consumer Privacy Survey (direct link to PDF). Insights are grouped into four main categories - people care about privacy, and a surprisingly large number have already taken actions to protect it; privacy regulation provides “guardrails” for innovation and helps to build trust; consumers value government’s role in regulating the use of personal data, and they view GDPR very favourably; many consumers feel theu are unable to protect their personal data, and their biggest challenge is to figure out what companies are doing with their data. “When we chat on social media, advertisers build a profile of us. And whenever we search Google, Google is also searching us.” Margrethe Vestager delivered the inaugural Giovanni Buttarelli Memorial Lecture in Brussels during the week. It’s well worth a read. Giovanni Buttarelli‘s manifesto, 'Privacy 2030: A New Vision For Europe’ (direct link to PDF). —— Endnotes & Credits The elegant Latin bon mot “Futuendi Gratia” is courtesy of Effin’ Birds. As always, a huge thank you to Regina Doherty for giving the world the phrase “mandatory but not compulsory”. The image used in the header is by Krystian Tambur on Unsplash. Any quotes from the Oireachtas we use are sourced from KildareStreet.com. They’re good people providing a great service. If you can afford to then donate to keep the site running. Digital Rights Ireland have a storied history of successfully fighting for individuals’ data privacy rights. You should support them if you can. Find us on the web at myprivacykit.com and on Twitter at @PrivacyKit. Of course we’re not on Facebook or LinkedIn. Barring a disaster we’ll be in your inbox again next weekend. If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter do please forward it on to them. Did you enjoy this issue? In order to unsubscribe, click here. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here. Powered by Revue Privacy Kit, Made with 💚 in Dublin, Ireland

The Public Services Card ages five years in the space of a few weeks. Amnesty condemns surveillance capitalists. Online advertising techniques migrate offline.

😼

In this investigation on digital billboards, Consumer Reports says location tracking is helping intrusive parts of the web move out into the real world, bringing data collection and targeted ads to billboards and screens everywhere.

It was a busy week in the reality-resistant universe of the Irish government’s identity register. The National Childcare Scheme launched with a twist. Only people who are already in the biometric identity register, or are willing to be added to it, can receive their entitlements. A postal application system will open in January but payments will not be backdated. This doesn’t seem particularly fair and smacks of the minds behind the Public Services Card spotting another vulnerable cohort of individuals to sweep into their database. Only those parents who can afford to forgo at least two months of payments can avoid being caught up in this.

—

A High Court case featuring the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and a data breach was settled. Of particular interest is how the department initially added the former employee to the proceedings, then rapidly reversed this decision after she “claimed that the release of data was "commonplace,” and it was “an accepted work practise of the department’s management and staff to release information to Gardaí, solicitors and private investigators upon request.”

—

On Thursday the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection appeared before the Oireachtas Social Welfare Committee to discuss matters relating to the Public Services Card. It was, like almost everything to do with this project, a thing of terribly confusing beauty. The Irish Examiner has a good summary of the main points made, which didn’t really serve to clarify much at all.

For fans of the surreal, the minister has now begun pushing the beginnings of the project back a further five years, from 1998 to 1993. The “incredibly strong legal advice” which the minister received from the Attorney General’s office was not in response to any formal questions asked by the department.

More

“I won’t lower myself’: Angry clashes at committee as Doherty defends government stance on PSC’, The Journal

‘Government defends position on Public Services Card’, RTÉ

Related

‘Judge sounds ‘serf’ warning on digital public services’, UKAuthority

And finally, business as usual

‘Teacher denied access to social welfare after breaking her ankle and refusing to get PSC’, Irish Examiner

Uber is launching an audio recording pilot in Latin America. The ride-hailing giant said it is trying to bring the feature to the U.S., but that may prove complicated.

‘Facebook, Google Fund Groups Shaping Federal Privacy Debate’, Bloomberg Law

The European Data Protection Board published guidelines on Data Protection by Design and Default for public consultation. Submissions are open until the 16th January.

—

‘Europe’s First Big Privacy Crackdown on Big Tech Is Being Delayed By WhatsApp’s Lawyers’, Fortune

• Amnesty International’s ‘Surveillance Giants’ report. “[T]he surveillance-based business model of Facebook and Google is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a systemic threat to a range of other rights including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.”
• Cisco published the results of its Consumer Privacy Survey (direct link to PDF). Insights are grouped into four main categories - people care about privacy, and a surprisingly large number have already taken actions to protect it; privacy regulation provides “guardrails” for innovation and helps to build trust; consumers value government’s role in regulating the use of personal data, and they view GDPR very favourably; many consumers feel theu are unable to protect their personal data, and their biggest challenge is to figure out what companies are doing with their data.
• “When we chat on social media, advertisers build a profile of us. And whenever we search Google, Google is also searching us.” Margrethe Vestager delivered the inaugural Giovanni Buttarelli Memorial Lecture in Brussels during the week. It’s well worth a read.
• Giovanni Buttarelli‘s manifesto, 'Privacy 2030: A New Vision For Europe’ (direct link to PDF).

——

Endnotes & Credits

• The elegant Latin bon mot “Futuendi Gratia” is courtesy of Effin’ Birds.
• As always, a huge thank you to Regina Doherty for giving the world the phrase “mandatory but not compulsory”.
• The image used in the header is by Krystian Tambur on Unsplash.
• Any quotes from the Oireachtas we use are sourced from KildareStreet.com. They’re good people providing a great service. If you can afford to then donate to keep the site running.
• Digital Rights Ireland have a storied history of successfully fighting for individuals’ data privacy rights. You should support them if you can.

Find us on the web at myprivacykit.com and on Twitter at @PrivacyKit. Of course we’re not on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Barring a disaster we’ll be in your inbox again next weekend.

If you know someone who might enjoy this newsletter do please forward it on to them.